The Clash, "Cut The Crap" (1985): After giving band co-founder Mick Jones his pink slip, Joe Strummer and Paul Simonon carried on with three hired hands and made an album that sounded like the cast of the "Young Ones" pretending to be the Clash.

The Clash, "Cut The Crap" (1985): After giving band co-founder Mick...

Bob Dylan, "Self Portrait" (1970): He would later belch up monstrosities like "Saved" and "Empire Burlesque," but this double album of comical studio outtakes was a poor way to close out his 1960s imperial phase.

Liz Phair, Liz Phair (2003): After charming fans with her powerful, seductive indie-rock offerings, the singer suddenly decided she should be a lot more like Avril Lavigne on her major label debut. Pitchfork gave it a generous 0.0 rating.

Neil Young and the Shocking Pinks, "Everybody's Rockin'" (1983): The wonderful thing about Neil Young is that he always does whatever he pleases. The only drawback is it results in albums like this horrible rockabilly folly.

Neil Young and the Shocking Pinks, "Everybody's Rockin'" (1983):...

Neil Young and the Shocking Pinks, "Everybody's... Photo-3388075.48246 - SFGate

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Pink Floyd, "The Final Cut" (1983): Roger Waters came up with a set of songs passionately condemning the war in the Falkland Islands. One problem: He forgot to give them any discernible melodies.

Pink Floyd, "The Final Cut" (1983): Roger Waters came up with a set...

R.E.M., "Monster" (1994): The hangover following the one-two punch of "Out of Time" and "Automatic For The People." There are at least a dozen copies clogging up the dollar bins in every used record store in the world.

Duran Duran, "Thank You" (1995): The British pop icons chose to follow up their massive "Ordinary World"-abetted comeback by covering the songs of such revered artists as the Doors, Led Zeppelin and, er, Public Enemy?

Velvet Underground, "Squeeze" (1973): The fifth album by the Velvet Underground did not involve Lou Reed, Sterling Morrison, nor Maureen Tucker. Which begs the question, how exactly was this an album by the Velvet Underground?

Velvet Underground, "Squeeze" (1973): The fifth album by the Velvet...

James Brown, "Universal Soul" (1992): The Godfather attempted to make an out of this world hip-hop album, failing to realize that every hip-hop act was trying to make a down to earth James Brown album.

Madonna, "American Life" (2003): The cover image may have been inspired by Che Guevara but the music inside captured Madonna at her most shallow, rapping, "I drive my Mini Cooper/ And I'm feeling super-duper."

The Beatles, "Yellow Submarine" (1969): Apart from the George Harrison classic "It's All To Much," this spotty soundtrack release (buffered with a George Martin orchestral score) punctured the idea that the band could do no wrong.

Bruce Springsteen, "Working on a Dream" (2009): "Our love will chase the trouble away," the Boss sings on the opening track of this slick, lazily written album. The problem is, he's at his best when trouble is most present.

Beach Boys, "Keepin' the Summer Alive" (1980): Recorded with minimal involvement from Brian and Dennis Wilson, the only decent creative idea on evidence was sticking the band in a reverse snow globe on the cover.

Elvis Presley, "Having Fun with Elvis on Stage" (1974): Even by the King's relatively liberal standards, this one is a doozy. It's a live album with no actual music -- just a compilation of Elvis talking between songs.

Elvis Presley, "Having Fun with Elvis on Stage" (1974): Even by the...

Radiohead, "Pablo Honey" (1993): An inauspicious start for the band that would go on to rule the 1990s. Made up of wan guitar pop and a single ("Creep") that all but screamed for one-hit-wonder status.

Radiohead, "Pablo Honey" (1993): An inauspicious start for the band...

Michael Jackson, "Blood on the Dancefloor: HIStory in the Mix" (1997): With his paranoia and bitterness in the high gear, Jackson tagged five forgettable new tracks onto a bunch of lousy remixes of songs from his previous album and called it a day.

Michael Jackson, "Blood on the Dancefloor: HIStory in the Mix"...

Michael Jackson, "Blood on the Dancefloor: HIStory in the... Photo-3388095.48246 - SFGate

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Sly and the Family Stone, "Ain't But The One Way" (1982): What began as a promising collaboration between Sly Stone and George Clinton, ended with producer Stewart Levine cobbling together the pieces when the primary players mysteriously disappeared.

Sly and the Family Stone, "Ain't But The One Way" (1982): What...

Sly and the Family Stone, "Ain't But The One Way"... Photo-3388096.48246 - SFGate

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Paul Simon, "Songs from The Capeman" (1997): The accompanying Broadway show lost $11-million, while the album mixed up doo-wop and Puerto Rican rhythms. It's hard to tell which was the bigger tragedy.

Lil Wayne, "Rebirth" (2010): The much-delayed follow-up to the multi-platinum "Tha Carter III" saw the rapper picking up a guitar and doing his best Limp Bizkit via Auto-Tune. An album that requires that many hyphens is never good.

Weezer, "Raditude" (2009): The band completely stopped trying around 2005's "Make Believe," but this one -- featuring lots of unlikely guests and non-classics like "The Girl Got Hot" and "In The Mall" -- represents the pinnacle of Weezer's disregard for doing anything worthwhile.

Lauryn Hill, "MTV Unplugged No. 2.0" (2002): The Fugees frontwoman goes off the rails on this live acoustic recording, ranting incomprehensibly as much as singing a set of otherwise unreleased songs. Any moments of beauty were most likely accidental.